


Second Chances

by blk0912



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Barisi friendship, Barson, Barsonoah, F/M, First Kiss, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:42:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29909568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blk0912/pseuds/blk0912
Summary: Now back in New York, Rafael makes time to care for the two people he loves most-Olivia and Noah. Unknown to him, both Bensons have surprises of their own for him.
Relationships: Noah Porter Benson & Olivia Benson, Rafael Barba & Noah Porter Benson, Rafael Barba & Olivia Benson & Noah Porter Benson, Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 54





	Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

> I was not planning to write this at all. The idea didn't even come to me until today. But then my brain decided to run with it and here we are, me publishing another new Barson story. This is also the most I've written in one day in a very long time. 
> 
> As always, special thanks to Sandra for her help with the Spanish. For those of you who enjoy Uncle Rafa/Noah scenes, this should be right up your alley ;)

* * *

“I want to go home.”

Olivia sighed and set her glasses down on her desk before pinching the bridge of her nose. “I know, but I have work to do and I need to be here since Uncle Fin is off today. Lucy is sick, so I’m afraid you’re stuck here until I’m finished.”

Noah leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms with a sigh. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t stay home alone. He opened his mouth to say something else when he heard a knock on the door. Both Bensons looked over and smiled when they saw who the person responsible for the noise was. 

“Uncle Rafa!” Noah exclaimed, jumping off the couch and running over to hug his favorite surrogate uncle.

“ _ Amigo _ , I didn’t know you were here,” Rafael said as he wrapped an arm around the little boy to return his hug.

“He only had a half-day today,” Olivia explained. “Teachers’ workshops this afternoon. Lucy was going to watch him, but she’s been sick all week. Please tell me  _ you’re _ not here about the latest case?”

Rafael smiled and shook his head, holding out the bag he was holding. “I  _ did _ stop by the DA’s office to drop off a book Carisi wanted to borrow, and he mentioned it had been a little crazy here all day. I thought I would stop by and bring you all lunch.”

“Thank you,” Olivia replied with a smile as she took the bag. 

“Is your homework done,  _ amigo _ ?” Rafael asked as the boy pulled back and looked up at him.

“Yes, Uncle Rafa.”

Olivia looked between the two of them with a smile. Rafael had been good to his word that he wasn’t going to disappear again. She felt like she had her best friend back and Noah was happy to have his favorite surrogate uncle back, too. Rafael had been a frequent visitor at their apartment and had even stayed with Noah a couple of times when she was called into work. 

“Rafa,” she said, gaining his attention. “Do you have any plans the rest of the day?”

“I have a little work to do, but nothing urgent,” Rafael replied. “Everything okay?”

“I, unfortunately, have  _ a lot _ of work to do. Would you mind taking Noah back to my place and staying with him? I’ll be able to get home a lot sooner if I can focus on my paperwork for a few hours.”

“Sure.  _ Mi amigo _ and I can finish his reading and then work on our Lego project.”

“It’s spaghetti night,” Noah reminded them. “Can Uncle Rafa stay for supper?”

“You know Uncle Rafa is always welcome,” Olivia replied. 

Noah turned back to Rafael with a pleading expression. “ _ Please _ , Uncle Rafa?” 

Rafael reached out and ruffled Noah’s hair. “Pack up your stuff,  _ amigo _ .”

“Yes!”

“Noah, do you have your keys?” 

“Yes, Mom.”

“Be good for Uncle Rafa and I’ll be home as soon as I can,” Olivia told her son as she hugged him and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of his head.

“I will,” Noah promised. “Love you, Mom.”

* * *

“Uncle Rafa.”

Rafael looked down at his young friend. "What 's up,  _ amigo _ ?”

“It’s spaghetti night, but we don’t have any of the stuff we need.”

“We can fix that,” Rafael assured as he unlocked his car. “We’ll stop at the grocery store on the way home.”

“Can we get cookies?”

Rafael laughed. “I don’t think your mom would like that very much.”

“What if we get Mom the ice cream she likes?” 

“I still don’t think she’d like for you to get cookies.”

Noah frowned as he set his backpack on the seat beside him and reached to pull the seat belt over him. “What if I save them until dessert?” he bargained.

“If we get cookies, you have to  _ promise _ you’ll save them for dessert,” Rafael replied. “No asking for them early.”

Noah nodded. “I promise.”

“Good boy.”

* * *

Walking through the grocery store with Noah, Rafael was pleased to find out that he knew which brands his mom usually bought. 

“Uncle Rafa, can we make garlic bread, too?” Noah asked, eyeing the different loaves of bread on display. 

“Sure, but you won’t find it in this aisle. It’s by the bakery.”

Noah shook his head. “Last time I slept over at Aunt Amanda’s, Uncle Sonny came over and made spaghetti with  _ regular bread _ shaped garlic bread.” 

Rafael took out his phone and quickly dialed the younger lawyer’s number. “Sonny, it’s Rafael. I’m here with Noah and we’re buying ingredients for spaghetti night. He mentioned you making garlic bread using regular bread. Is that true?”

“Is he talkin’ about what I made at Manda’s last week?”

“I think so. Did you make them all spaghetti that night?”

“Yeah,” Sonny confirmed. “I’ll text you what you need. Are you cookin’ for Lu?”

“That’s the plan.”

“I think you’ll find our young friend’s sous chef skills have improved.”

“Been training him in my absence?”

Sonny chuckled. “I think he just wants to be able to make something himself for his mom.”

“I agree,” Rafael replied. He was about to hang up when he saw Noah reaching for the phone. “I think he wants to talk to you. Do you have a minute?”

“For Noah? Of course,” Sonny answered. “Put him on.”

“Thanks again, Sonny,” Rafael said before handing the phone to Noah.

“Hi, Uncle Sonny,” Noah agreeted.

“Hey, kid,” Sonny replied. “I heard you’re makin’ spaghetti and garlic bread for your mom.”

“Will you send Uncle Rafa the garlic bread instructions? I think Mom would really like it.”

“I think so, too, and yes, I’ll send the instructions.”

“Promise you won’t tell Mom?”

Sonny chuckled. “I don’t think I’ll see her any more today, but yes, I promise. If I see her, I won’t tell her anything.”

“Okay, thanks, Uncle Sonny!” Noah said before hanging up and handing the phone back to Rafael.

* * *

When they arrived back at Olivia’s apartment, Noah put his backpack in his room and selected the book that he and Rafael had been reading together,  _ Mr. Popper’s Penguins _ , before returning to the living room. He set the book on the couch before wandering into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. 

“Ready,  _ amigo _ ?” Rafael asked, running a hand over the little boy’s hair.

Noah nodded, setting the bottle of water on the counter before following Rafael into the living room.

* * *

Walking into her apartment, Olivia was struck by the delicious smells emanating from her kitchen. After locking up her gun and badge, and taking off her boots, she walked into the kitchen to find Rafael standing at the stove with Noah standing on a chair beside him. The little boy was stirring the sauce while Rafael checked the noodles. 

“Hi, boys,” she greeted with a smile. 

“Hi, Mom,” Noah replied, turning to wrap his arms around her neck and hug her.

“It’ll be another ten minutes or so,” Rafael said. 

“I’m going to go change, then,” Olivia replied, reaching out to briefly link her pinky with Rafael’s before walking back towards her bedroom.

* * *

After dinner, during which Noah had dominated the conversation, Rafael brought their plates into the kitchen and returned with bowls of ice cream for all three of them. 

“We bought your favorite kind, Mom,” Noah revealed.

“There’s cookies, too, if you want one,” Rafael added. 

“You bought ice cream  _ and _ cookies?” Olivia asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

Rafael smiled and shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Uncle Rafa made me promise I wouldn’t eat them until  _ after _ supper,” Noah told her, not wanting her to be mad at Rafael.

Olivia looked between her son and her best friend, both of whom looked like they  _ really _ wanted the cookies  _ and _ the ice cream, and then smiled. “I suppose we can have both tonight, since you both cooked.”

Noah cheered, eliciting laughter from the two adults. Once Rafael had retrieved the cookies, the three of them chatted some more as they ate their dessert. 

* * *

“Noah, it’s time for your bath and then bed,” Olivia reminded her son as she cleared the bowls that had contained their ice cream. 

“I’ll take care of him, you relax,” Rafael said as he poured a glass of wine and then pushed it toward her. 

“Rafa, you don’t have to…”

Rafael shook his head. “You deserve to relax, Liv.”

“Okay, fine, but will you stay for a while after you put Noah to bed?”

Rafael smiled and nodded. “I can do that.”

* * *

After reading another chapter in Noah’s book, Rafael noticed the little boy was having trouble keeping his eyes open. 

“We’ll read more another day,” he promised as he set the book back on the bedside table and stood, adjusting the blanket to cover Noah’s shoulders. 

“Promise?” Noah asked sleepily.

“I promise.”

“Are you going to go away again?”

“No,  _ amigo _ , I’m not,” Rafael answered. 

“Mom and I missed you when you went away.”

“I missed you guys, too.”

“Mom has been smiling more since you came back. I think she missed you a lot.”

Rafael smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to Noah’s temple. “I missed you both a lot, too. Now, get some sleep.”

“But I don’t have school tomorrow.”

“You still need your sleep.”

“Will you come back soon?”

“I’ll talk to your mom about it.”

“Okay. ‘Night, Uncle Rafa.”

“ _ Buenas noches, amigo. Dulces sueňos _ .”

* * *

“Did he go to sleep okay?” Olivia asked when Rafael joined her on the couch. 

“He was fighting it, since he doesn’t have school tomorrow, but he eventually gave in,” Rafael answered, smiling when he saw the glass of scotch on the table next to Olivia’s wine. “Is that for me?”

Olivia smiled and shrugged. “It only seemed fair.”

“Did you get your work done?” Rafael asked after taking a sip of his drink.

“Most of it. I took the day off tomorrow since Noah doesn’t have school, but I’ll need to work for a little while. I’ll bribe him with Lego time or something.”

“Why don’t you let Fin take care of it?”

Olivia chuckled softly. “I left him with his own pile. I  _ do _ know how to delegate, Rafa.”

“You do?” Rafael asked in mock surprise.

Olivia reached out and pushed his shoulder. “You’re  _ not _ funny.”

Rafael smirked at her. “You know that’s not true, Livia.”

Olivia laid her head on the arm that was resting on the back of the couch as she regarded Rafael seriously. “I really do miss having you by my side at work,” she confessed. 

Rafael set his scotch back on the coffee table and turned to face her, reaching out to link the fingers of her free hand with his. “Me, too.”

“You’re back for good, right?”

“I am,” Rafael confirmed. “I actually wanted to talk to you about an offer I received.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“An old friend of mine from the Brooklyn DA’s office is now the head of the law school at Columbia. The current criminal law professor is retiring after this semester. He wants me to take over the position, starting by teaching a bar review class this summer.”

“I think you’d be a wonderful teacher, Rafa. But how do  _ you _ feel about it?”

Rafael let out a breath. “I don’t know. Teaching was never something I ever really considered. But any future plans I had kind of went out the window after, well, everything.”

“Maybe you should schedule a meeting with this old friend? Tour the campus, find out more about the position. You know the law so well, Rafa. Sonny has said that he learned so much from you in just that short period of time he shadowed you. Imagine what you teach other future lawyers if you had the time.”

Rafael tilted his head in acknowledgement of Olivia’s words. He’d had the same thought, but it felt different hearing it from his best friend, the person he trusted most in the world. “I’ll call him tomorrow.”

Olivia tightened her grip on Rafael’s hand as she moved to rest her forehead on his shoulder. 

“Liv? Are you okay?” he asked in surprise.

“It’s not the same without you, Rafa. Even after I knew you had left New York, I kept expecting you to walk through my office door bearing coffee and snacks. Sonny is doing great, and being able to keep him on my team in a way was a relief, but it’s  _ not the same _ .”

“I know,” Rafael said softly, wrapping his free arm tentatively around her shoulders. “I couldn’t stay...and I couldn’t go back...not while McCoy was DA.”

Olivia lifted her head to look at him. “He’s not DA anymore, though. Casey Novak is now. Hadid left shortly after she took over. Casey has been taking over her duties while she looks for a new bureau chief.  _ You _ could take over. You’d be perfect for the job. You know SVU, Sonny knows and trusts you.”

“It still wouldn’t be the same,” Rafael reminded her. “I’m not SVU’s ADA anymore, and I’m certainly not going to kick Carisi out of his position.”

“But you’d still be working with us occasionally, and you’d be there for Sonny if he needs help. You’ve even met the new members of the squad.”

“What happened to teaching?”

Olivia sighed. “You would make an  _ amazing _ teacher, but you’d be an  _ amazing _ SVU Bureau Chief, too.”

Rafael was silent for a moment before he spoke again. “Do you think Novak would have a problem with the SVU Bureau Chief being in a relationship with the SVU Captain?” 

“A relationship with…” Olivia started, trailing off as she felt Rafael’s lips brush hers. 

“I just want  _ you _ , Livia. You and Noah. I...I’ve been in love with you for a while now and I should have told you that instead of walking away.”

“You’ve got us,” Olivia whispered, brushing her lips with Rafael’s. “I’ve been in love with you for a while now, too...and I wish you  _ had  _ told me that instead of walking away...but you’re here now…”

Rafael kissed her again. “I am. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Olivia replied before pressing her lips to his once more.

* * *

****2 weeks later****

“You know, I thought the snacks would have changed in the last couple of years while I was gone, but it appears I was wrong.”

Olivia looked up from her phone as she walked into her office. Rafael was sitting in her chair, his feet propped up on her desk...and he was dressed for work.

“Are you complaining?” she asked, sliding her phone into her pocket as she approached him. 

“Only about the fact that my  _ bella novia _ left our bed this morning without so much as a kiss.”

Olivia rolled her eyes at him. “ _ Tu bella novia _ was rudely awakened by her phone at four o’clock this morning and she didn’t want to disturb you.”

Rafael shrugged as he tossed the last pretzel into his mouth. 

“Any other complaints?” 

“Nope. I got my old office back, which is a little strange, I’ll admit, but it  _ is  _ a nice office, so I’m not going to complain.”

Olivia narrowed her eyes and rested her hands on the armrests of the chair as she leaned down closer to Rafael’s face. “Are you telling me you accepted Casey’s offer?”

Rafael gave her his best innocent smile. “ _ ¿Sorpresa? _ ” 

“You didn’t think  _ tu bella novia _ needed to  _ know _ this information?” 

“I thought it would be a nice surprise.”

“Hmm. I don’t know if I should forgive you.”

“I really think you should.”

“Why is that?”

“ _ ¿Porque me amas? _ ” 

“Mm. You know,  _ Barba _ , you can be very persuasive when you want to be.”

Rafael chuckled, remembering her words to him on one of their first cases together. “Are  _ you _ complaining?”

“Never,” Olivia replied before closing the distance between them and capturing his lips with hers. 

Rafael lifted a hand to cup the back of Olivia’s head as he returned her kiss, both of them losing themselves in it until they heard someone clearing their throat from the doorway. They both smiled at each other before turning their attention to the room’s newest occupant. 

“Uh, y’all might want to cut that out before Garland and Sonny get here,” Amanda said with a knowing smile. 

“Did you know he was here?” Olivia asked as Rafael dropped his feet to the ground and stood. 

“He came in a few minutes ago looking for you. Wouldn’t tell me why, though. I told him to wait in here. About time y’all stopped denying what we’ve all known for a while.”

Olivia and Rafael exchanged a confused look before turning back to the blonde detective, who rolled her eyes at them. “Please. We all suspected y’all would have gotten together  _ years _ ago.”

“Who are we talkin’ about?” Sonny asked as he appeared behind Amanda. 

“Liv and Barba,” Amanda replied. 

“Well, they’re together now, aren’t they?” 

“They are.”

“Then just be happy for them, Manda.”

“Who said I wasn’t?”

Rafael looked over at his girlfriend and raised an eyebrow in a silent question. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. 

* * *

“So...why are we all here?” Sonny asked, looking between Olivia, Rafael, and Garland. 

“I thought you would all like to meet the new Bureau Chief for SVU,” Garland answered, nodding at Rafael.

Sonny looked surprised while Kat, Amanda, and Fin shared a knowing look. 

“Since when?” the younger lawyer asked.

“Today is officially my first day,” Rafael answered. “I can  _ officially _ help you with the Kingston case now.”

Sonny didn’t bother to try and hide his relief. “ _ Grazie a Dio _ .” 

Amanda reached over and patted his leg sympathetically as Kat held back a laugh. 

“Welcome back, Barba,” Fin said with a smile and a nod. 

“I look forward to working  _ with _ you rather than  _ against _ you,” Garland added. 

“Me, too,” Rafael replied before turning back to Sonny. “Gather what you have for the Kingston case and any others you want to go over. Meet me in my office at nine a.m. tomorrow.”

“Where  _ is _ your office?”

“Same place as before.”

“How’d you manage that?”

Rafael shrugged. “Novak asked which office was mine when I was an ADA. She found out it wasn’t being used, so she offered it to me.”

* * *

Later that night, after putting Noah to bed, Olivia and Rafael relaxed on the couch together. It had become part of their nightly routine, no matter whose place they were staying at. They hadn’t been apart since that first night just over two weeks ago. They had spent the long weekend at Rafael’s and then the following weeknights at Olivia’s. 

“You know, we’re going to have to decide on a place,” Rafael said, reaching over and running his fingers through the ends of Olivia’s hair.

“It’s not too soon?” Olivia asked. She needed this to work. Losing Rafael was  _ not _ an option.

“Livia, we haven’t spent a night apart in two weeks. It’s not like we don’t know each other; we’ve been best friends for years. I want to be wherever you and Noah are.”

“I think we should ask Noah for his opinion. He needs to be comfortable wherever we choose.”

Rafael nodded in agreement. “Of course.”

“I want to live at Rafa’s.”

Both adults looked over at the sound of Noah’s voice. 

“What are you doing out of bed, mister?” Olivia asked. 

“I’m thirsty,” Noah replied with a shrug as he walked into the kitchen. 

“So, you choose Rafa’s place?” 

Noah took a drink of water before turning back to his mother and nodding. “Yes.”

“I guess it’s decided, then,” Olivia said, turning back to her boyfriend with a smile. “If that’s okay with you?”

Rafael returned her smile as he nodded. “My only requirements are you and Noah.”

“Rafa, will you tuck me back in?” Noah asked as he approached the couch. 

“Sure,  _ mijo _ ,” Rafael answered. “Give your mom a hug first, though.”

Noah hugged Olivia before following Rafael back to his bedroom, giggling when the older man ruffled his hair. 

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Olivia and Noah moved their things into Rafael’s apartment. Noah was thrilled to have both of them around and enjoyed the extra amenities that Rafael’s building offered, such as the pool and game room. 

Rafael settled into his new job, helping Sonny and SVU wherever he could. When Carmen had found out that Rafael was back, she had requested to be transferred back to his office, offering to help both Rafael  _ and _ Sonny. Casey had agreed, even asking Rafael to cover for her while she was away at a conference the following month. 

Olivia enjoyed having him as part of the SVU team again, insisting that knowing he had their backs, even if it  _ was _ in a different way than before, made it easier for her to do  _ her _ job. She also found that Garland was a bit more involved in the goings on at SVU than Dodds had been, but he was better at letting her do her job than the other man had been and she appreciated that.

The best part for both Olivia and Rafael was coming home to each other and Noah every night. They both didn’t always make it home for his bedtime, but they made an effort to make sure that at least one of them was there. On the nights when one or both of them couldn’t make it, they tried to make time to video chat before he went to bed. When that wasn’t possible, Noah would insist on recording a video and sending it to whoever couldn’t be home with him that night. On the days that the three of them could be together, they often took trips to the park or watched movies cuddled up together on the couch. Occasionally, Noah would talk them both into helping him with his latest Lego creation or they would each hang out in the living room while doing their own things. It didn’t really matter to any of them what the activity was, as long as they were all together. 


End file.
